Will there be a point at which they officially "concede" the election? What would be the sign for them that 2012 isn't going to be their year? Do they make concession calls to the winning candidate? Does the winning candidate accept their calls? Will the four of them stop for a beer together after the polls close?

I don't see why they would make any kind of concession calls. Their candidacies are pretty much symbolic.

Edit: Until a third party receives 5% of the vote, which will qualify them for matching election funds. If that ever happens, the party that achives it will (hopelly) slowly start to accumulate a larger proportion of the vote.

They probably do, just so they can speak to their supporters to thank them for working with the campaign - it's just not covered by the major media outlets. I wouldn't be surprised to see Roseanne Barr (Peace & Freedom - IIRC, Cindy Sheehan is the VP on that ticket) make a concession speech that becomes public, even if it's just because one or more late-night talk shows aired it.

As for telephoning the winner, I doubt that many of them would - and I doubt even more that the call would even reach the winner, as opposed to being intercepted by a party lackey with a response of, "I'll see that he gets the message."

There's no such thing as an "official" concession. They have no legal meaning; they're just etiquette. And even that doesn't count if nobody notices.

There may not be such a thing as a legal concession but there is such a thing as an official one. When a candidate publicly states that he is acknowledging his opponent won the election, he is officially conceding.

When an umpire calls a ball or a strike, he's making the official ruling even if it has no legal meaning.

As for telephoning the winner, I doubt that many of them would - and I doubt even more that the call would even reach the winner, as opposed to being intercepted by a party lackey with a response of, "I'll see that he gets the message."

This. Can you imagine? It's razor thin in Ohio, the state that will decide this close election, Obama and Michelle are holding hands and waiting with bated breath for the next update. Then someone tells him that Virgil Goode is on the phone wanting to concede.

I wouldn't blame him at all for telling Virgil Goode to go fuck himself. Even on live television.

There may not be such a thing as a legal concession but there is such a thing as an official one. When a candidate publicly states that he is acknowledging his opponent won the election, he is officially conceding.

But if it turns out the candidate does end up winning, saying "Nuh uh! You conceded!" does not mean the candidate can't be declared the official, and legal, winner.

If it did, Bush vs. Gore would have been decided at 2:15 a.m. on election night when Gore called Bush to concede, and we wouldn't have had to spend the next month with those messy recounts and court cases.

But if it turns out the candidate does end up winning, saying "Nuh uh! You conceded!" does not mean the candidate can't be declared the official, and legal, winner.

If it did, Bush vs. Gore would have been decided at 2:15 a.m. on election night when Gore called Bush to concede, and we wouldn't have had to spend the next month with those messy recounts and court cases.

That was an aberration, and I believe the only one in Presidential electoral history. It's just a gentleman's thing. When you see you are beaten, no need to wait for the final score. Congratulate your opponent and move on. If it turns out you were wrong, then of course, you can retract it.

This. Can you imagine? It's razor thin in Ohio, the state that will decide this close election, Obama and Michelle are holding hands and waiting with bated breath for the next update. Then someone tells him that Virgil Goode is on the phone wanting to concede.

I wouldn't blame him at all for telling Virgil Goode to go fuck himself. Even on live television.

Probably not Virgil Goode. The Constitution Party's pretty hard right and if they were drawing off votes, they were taking them from Romney.

But if it turns out the candidate does end up winning, saying "Nuh uh! You conceded!" does not mean the candidate can't be declared the official, and legal, winner.

If it did, Bush vs. Gore would have been decided at 2:15 a.m. on election night when Gore called Bush to concede, and we wouldn't have had to spend the next month with those messy recounts and court cases.

As I said, I know that a concession has no legal meaning. My question was whether or not third party candidates go through the motions of acknowledging they didn't win.